Vauxhall Rocks Viva city car into rugged rural runabout

Vauxhall Viva Rocks has more ground clearance than the standard city car and SUV-inspired body styling. Picture: Vauxhall

Vauxhall

Vauxhall certainly offers buyers SUV and crossovers plenty to choose and has now launched a more rugged Rocks version of its Viva city car. Motoring editor Andy Russell says you pay the price for those chunkier looks.

Is the dog wagging its tail or the tail wagging the dog when it comes to the obsession the motoring public seems to have with SUVs? I wonder if customer demand drives manufacturers to come up with new innovative niche models or the car-makers creating SUV-inspired models maintain sales momentum.

We’ve got coupe-like sports activity vehicles, crossovers, beefed up estate cars and now there’s a trend to give superminis and city cars a macho makeover, 18mm more ground clearance and rugged body cladding.

Ford is doing it with Fiesta and Focus Active, Kia the Picanto X-Line and Vauxhall just rocks with its chunkier Adam Rocks and now Viva Rocks.

Only one engine choice - 75PS, 1.0-litre petrol. Picture: Vauxhall

Looks and image

The Viva, as Vauxhall’s budget city car, is not bad looking – I rather like the standard hatchback’s simplicity – but the Viva Rocks is more distinctive with butcher bumpers including integrated skid pads and fog lights at the front, silver roof rails, muscular wheel arches, 15in bi-colour alloy wheels and rides higher.

Under the bonnet

Five-seater cabin okay for two average adults in the back. Picture: Vauxhall

Without a turbo, it doesn’t have a lot of punch but makes reasonable progress but, over 50mph, overtaking needs careful planning and a long stretch of open road as it runs out of puff at higher revs. You’re better off changing up early, and going with the flow, which resulted in 55mpg overall.

It will cruise at 70mph but, with a five-speed manual gearbox, it is pulling nearly 3,500rpm which can get wearing. Motorway miles are not the Viva Rocks’ forte – this is city car turned rural runabout.

The ride, geared for comfort and helped by higher ground clearance and deep tyres, is rather good for a small car. The soft set-up cushions passengers on rough roads but things get a bit roly-poly through fast corners with more body lean than the standard Viva.

That said, it’s not a car designed to be a dynamic drive and comfort will be the over-riding factor for most owners.

It’s roomier than it looks and four average adults have acceptable legroom if those up front forego some.

The Viva has five seats but the rear bench is flat and slabby compared to the more shapely and supportive front seats and, width-wise, I wouldn’t want to be stuck in the back with two other adults but three children wouldn’t feel the squeeze.

The 206-litre boot is deep and boxy, taking a reasonable supermarket shop with careful packing, but has a high sill. You have to lift the rigid parcel shelf upright to access the boot but, forget to put it down again, and you can’t see out of the back screen.

Rear seats split 60/40 but you have to flip the cushions upright, and remove the head rests, and they still don’t go flat – I unclipped and removed the cushions when I needed more space but there’s still a little step up.

At the wheel

Gloss black trim and brighwork highlights break it up the dark, hard plastics and you can adjust the height of the driver’s seat and steering wheel, but not the latter for reach, but most people will find a suitable set-up.

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